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Essay on Health benefits of humor and laughter
Essay on Health benefits of humor and laughter
Essays about the positive effects of laughter on emotional and physical health
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The Joke’s on You
The effect laughter has on the state of your well being is so dramatic that it should actually be prescribed by doctors as treatment. You can improve all three areas of the “Wellness Triangle” simply by changing your attitude and mindset and learning to laugh more. You can create more lasting relationships as laughter is the universal language. You can improve your physical health and develop relaxation techniques akin to meditation. Get out and laugh more, it’s the world’s cheapest and most potent medication.
Laughter’s beneficial health effects are life saving. “Past president of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D. and clinical psychologist in Irvine, California says, “Humor stimulates
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laughter and we know that physiological stimulation through laughter leads to a number of health benefits by reducing stress and boosting antibodies that fight infection.
The research, particularly on heart disease, is dramatic. People who are chronically angry are four to five times more likely to have a heart attack than people who are not” (Dean). Laughter’s dramatic effect on heart disease is commendable in and of itself but it’s exceptional qualities spread far and wide for your physiological health. According to Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. “Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease (Smith,Segal). Laughter strengthens your immune system, reduces stress and lowers your risk for heart disease.
Not only does laughter benefit you physiologically but also psychologically. Thomas Crook, PhD, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Cognitive Research Corp states, “Humor is not just a silly
diversion. It also yields important neuropsychological benefits—improving your mood, exercising your brain, masking pain, even strengthening your bonds with those who share a good chuckle with you” (Crook). Humor improves mood which can reduces signs of depression and reduce levels of stress. It’s that optimistic attitude which helps fight disease states Deanne Dean author of the article Your Attitude Affects How Long You Will Live, “Long tern and current research now tells us that the mind and immune system are inexorably connected and do not exist independently. For example, if you expect illness, you increase the odds of getting an illness. If you expect good health, your chances of enjoying good health are increased by that attitude” (Dean). Laughter can reduce stress and increase relaxation “Joyful laughter immediately produces the same brain wave frequencies experienced by people in a true meditative state, says Lee Berk, lead researcher of the study and associate professor of pathology and human anatomy at Loma Linda University”(Eckelkamp). Robin Dunbar professor of evolutionary psychology and his colleagues proposed “that the physical action of laughing induces the release of these endorphins, just as any form of physical exercise does, causing the positive feelings we are all familiar with”(cadena).Endorphins are morphine-like compounds your brain produces to reduce pain and increase pleasure. Your brain delivers endorphins when you perform certain activities such as physical exercise or when you laugh. Laughter is your body’s natural medication. Finally laughter is a very important contributor to your social well being. The “wellness Triangle” state's: “Health is a combination of physical, mental/emotional, and social/spiritual well-being. The three sides of your health are connected, like the sides of a triangle” (Boyd). Social health must not be underlooked as it is how you build relationships, deal with conflict, and develop yourself as an individual. Sebastien Gendry leading global expert on laughter therapy says, “Laughing together can greatly improve cooperation and empathy between people of different cultural backgrounds. Voluntary simulated laughter in particular is most beneficial for very socially and culturally diverse groups thanks to its universal and inclusive nature, because it means that they can all join in and develop a sense of belonging” (Gendry). Relationships are very important in maintaining overall personal wellness, “People who continue to maintain close friendships and find other ways to interact socially live longer than those who become isolated. Relationships and social interactions even help protect against illness by boosting your immune system (Freeborn).” In conclusion, laughter should be prescribed by doctors as a natural remedy for prevention and rehabilitation of life threatening diseases such as heart disease and depression. Laughter can additionally help with minor sickness and stress levels in day to day life. Improve mental focus and build more lasting relationships. Attitudes and mindsets are infectious so by helping yourself you’re actually helping others. Go out and laugh more because it just might save your life.
Although modern science has allowed us to develop many complex medicines, laughter is still the strongest one available in the real world and in the book. Laughter proves to be a strong medicine in more ways than one and is completely free, allowing anyone to use it at anytime. It allows us to connect socially with people, it can be used as a way of overthrowing power, and it is good for your health. As Randle McMurphy showed in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, laughter can lighten the mood in the darkest situations.
Laughing is resorted to in times where we need to laugh. It’s an escape from reality, its comfort, its fear. Laughing subdues any emotion that is too high strung in our system. It lets it vapor out in a melancholy form that helps us cope with problems that no one else can really understand and help us with. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest it allowed emotional tension escape from the patients and made nurse Ratched lose her ward.
Every choice you take with ultimately impact your life. In “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski the author creates a theme of; your not living until you seize opportunities in life. In “The Journey” by Mary Oliver the author creates a theme of; you have to take the journey to find yourself. In each of these poems the authors use tone and figurative language to develop the overall message.
This book is about so many things, it is hard to stay on one topic for any length of time. In order to focus on the laugh and laughing as a healing agent, I would like to look towards other influential writers and thinkers to tie together laughing and healing. First, let’s see what laughter is according to Meriam Webster: laughter- n. a cause of merriment. Using this simple definition, we can assume that laughter can come from any form of merriment or emotion like triumph, contempt, relief, and almost any other emotion there is. It is easy to picture in your head different underlying emotions in laughter; the sinister laughs of witches and ghosts, the insincere, fake laughs you hear after pointless, humorless attempts at jokes on the six o’clock news, to the silent laughs of mimes and clowns that fill the people around them with a happy feeling. These are all examples of what laughter is and how it is used. But why do we do it? What in nature created the laugh and made it so successful?
“The practical disengagement of humor…helps explain the opposition between amusement and negative emotions.” (530) There are three effects of humor; irresponsibility, blocking compassion, and promoting prejudice. Humor can take away what we are/should be doing in life and sometimes there isn’t anything wrong with that. Sometimes when we hear a hateful thing we just laugh it off as if it was no big deal when it really was. “An
The mood of the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” written by Edgar Allan Poe is anxious. Poe develops this mood with in depth scenes that wrap around anxiety. For example, this work begins with the statement, “nervous -- very, very dreadfully nervous I have been and am”, the murderer’s words (1). This gives the reader an inside look on how the rest of the plot will play out. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is obviously not a laidback or comical writing. “I felt myself getting pale. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears” (16). These are all symptoms of severe worry, being experienced by the assassinator responsible for the death of an old man, but there is another perspective to look into and that is that of the victim. “The beating grew louder,
Humor is a tremendous factor in our daily lives. In the numerous ways we communicate with other people, one of the vital ways is through humor because it helps people get through the hard times, and makes the good times even better. Most of the things people find to be “funny” are based on experiences that have happened to them, others, where they live, and the events happening at the time. When looking at each era, and the humor used in that time, you can see that based on the things happening in that time their sense of humor was different. Humor has existed throughout all of humanity, considering the fact that chimps laugh, just goes to show how long humor has been around. As a result of this, we must look at the philosophy of humor, and
At the end of the experiment I will complete the last two steps in the scientific process. I will analyze the data gained and will formulate a conclusion. I don’t think much research has been done of the effects of Positive Psychology on those people with a higher than average level of happiness, since the catalyst for this research came from the desire to augment pathological treatment for depression. It will be interesting to see the impact, if any, on my current level of happiness.
Why do people laugh? Laughter is contagious and therapeutic. It helps us cope with stress, and relax with friends. It is an indication of happiness, the sole reason we go on living. But what causes people to laugh? People laugh at jokes, semantic humor, which relies on cognitive ability to process the "humor" therein, or sometimes at slapstick type behavior requiring no intellectual understanding. People laugh at different things and for different reasons, and for the few that are interested at the expense of the frog, it can be interesting to investigate.
There have been many theories over the years as to why we laugh. Freud suggested that during laughter, you discharge pent-up psychic energies. In a theory by V.S. Ramachandran, we laugh to alert others in the social group that an anomaly, whatever it is we are laughing at, is inconsequential. For example, if someone falls and is not hurt, we laugh to signal to others that the person is all right. The theories vary greatly, but there are so many attributes to the phenomenon o...
Feeling down and depressed? Laugh all those troubles away. Laughter is a simple yet substantial way of putting that little spring back in the step. When people say “Laughter is the best medicine,” what are they referring to? Laughing acts as calorie burner, prevents heart disease or other illnesses, can increase learning abilities and focus, or even bring a more optimistic outlook on life.
My two top styles of humor are ones that help create and bond relationships, and uplift one’s self. With this, I believe it shows that I am mentally healthy. I am mentally healthier than I thought I was before writing this paper. Self-enhancing humor is positively related to openness to experience, self-esteem, and psychological well-being (Martin el at. 2003). Mentally, I have never been one to suffer from depression or anxiety, which are both very common in busy high school and college students. I have had moments, or times in my life where I have been at a very low point but I have never been diagnosed. I think that my styles of humor mirror how healthy my mental state has been thus far in my life. I do think that I am insure more times than not, which would logically reflect self-defeating humor. Though, I am thankful after taking the Humor Style Questionnaire (Martin el at. 2003) that I am not that
Laughing can be expressed in various ways. Some people chuckle, some people snort, some people sound like hyenas, or if you are like me, you laugh so hard that you actually pee your pants. That moment was not my proudest, but there are far more embarrassing things that have occurred in my life. There have also been times where life was tough and sometimes the only thing that could help me get through it was laughter. Laughter as the best medicine was not something that I regarded highly of until I was a senior in high school. Schulz suggests that we “don’t assess evidence neutrally, we assess it in light of whatever theories we’ve already formed on the basis of whatever other, earlier evidence we have encountered.” (372) And Schulz is right,
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and
Those who use humor to its best advantage teach others by example. Instead of getting angry when something goes wrong, we should try to look for the humor in the situation. It eases tensions and keeps things in perspective. Humor can energize us when a task has become tedious. Humor can make even the worst of situations tolerable.